The Latest: 3 fatal wrecks in Virginia amid wintry weather

Updated 9:26 pm, Monday, February 15, 2016

The Latest on severe winter weather across the U.S. (items are listed individually with time zones):

2:30 a.m.

Officials in Virginia are asking motorists to avoid overnight travel due to hazardous weather conditions and slick roadways, especially in the Richmond area.

State Police said in a statement that as of Monday evening, three fatal crashes had been reported in Virginia. The statement also said two troopers and a firefighter were struck at crash scenes in the Richmond area Monday night. No further information about their conditions was immediately available.

The state Department of Transportation says highways and primary roads are mostly clear but secondary roads, especially in the southwestern part of the state, are still covered with snow and ice.

Much of the state is under a winter storm warning until 10 a.m. Tuesday

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7:30 p.m. CST

A Florida authority says he's never seen a tornado as big and fast as the one he says he witnessed touching down in a small rural town in Florida's Panhandle.

Escambia County Sheriff's Deputy Mark Dewes saw the apparent twister that hit Century, Florida, from his patrol car Monday afternoon. He said an entire uprooted pine tree flew in front of the car before he turned away from the storm.

Of the tornado, Dewes says he has "never seen one form that big and that fast."

Ben Boutwell is president of the Century City Council. He took shelter with his family in the center of his home as the storm passed, saying he heard "that typical roar, like a train."

Boutwell said homes about four blocks away from him had major damage. He said emergency crews were conducting a search and rescue in the neighborhood.

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7:30 p.m. CST

A volunteer fire chief is among Mississippi residents whose homes were damaged as a storm system hit 19 counties in central and southern parts of the state.

The area was under a tornado warning when the damage occurred, but the National Weather Service says it must visit the area before it can confirm it was a twister. Only a few minor injuries were reported statewide.

In other rural areas south of Jackson, including Sylvarena in Smith County, a store and several other structures were heavily damaged.

An exact number of how many structures had been damaged statewide was not immediately available.

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5:30 p.m. CST

Fire crews are investigating reports that some residents may have been trapped in the debris of homes destroyed when an apparent tornado touched down in a rural town on Florida's Panhandle.

County spokeswoman Joy Tsubooka said authorities estimate about 10 homes were destroyed or significantly damaged when the apparent tornado touched down Monday afternoon in the rural town of Century.

Tsubooka says the county's fire rescue department has received reports about people being trapped by debris — but several of the reports proved unfounded.

Tsubooka says some people have reported suffering cuts from debris, but there have not yet been any reports of major injuries.

Century is located on the Florida-Alabama border about 45 miles north of Pensacola, Florida.

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4:45 p.m. CST

A television station has aired footage showing a large, black funnel cloud touching down on a highway near Century, Florida, in the northwest corner of the state's Panhandle.

The late Monday afternoon footage was aired by Pensacola news station WEAR-TV.

No information about injuries or damage was immediately available.

Gene Jacobi with the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama, says radar indicated a tornado in a storm system that moved over Century into Brewton, Alabama.

He said the weather service would send crews out Tuesday to survey areas where damage and a funnel cloud had been reported.

A tornado watch is in effect for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties until 9 p.m., and a tornado warning was in effect until 4 p.m.

Images submitted by viewers to the news station's Facebook page showed downed trees and damage to the exteriors of at least two homes.

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4:30 p.m. CST

Emergency management officials in Mississippi say Monday's storm system caused damage in at least 20 counties, including minor injuries at a mobile home that was destroyed in Lincoln County.

Thunderstorms in the central and southern parts of the state damaged buildings including a K-12 school in Wesson where students were attending class. Mississippi Department of Education spokeswoman Patric Guilfoyle says two gymnasiums and a library were most heavily damaged, but no students were reported injured.

A gas station and some homes were damaged in Sylvarena in Smith County.

More than 18,000 power customers lacked electricity at midafternoon, with outages most heavily concentrated in Copiah and Simpson counties.

Much of the damage was caused by suspected tornadoes. National Weather Service officials haven't yet confirmed that any of the storms produced twisters.

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5 p.m. EST

Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings have been issued in several parts of southwest Alabama as a severe weather system passes through the Gulf Coast region.

National Weather Service officials in Mobile say they're monitoring storms that could develop into tornadoes in Wilcox and Monroe counties. Tornado watches have also been issued in several other parts of southwest Alabama.

Officials said earlier that storms throughout central Alabama were likely to include high wind, isolated tornadoes and quarter-sized hail between noon and 10 p.m.

Forecasters have said thunderstorms are expected to develop as a cold front approaches central Alabama, and heavy rain could cause localized flooding throughout the region.

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5 p.m. EST

Forecasters say slick roads and downed tree limbs are possible with freezing rain expected throughout northeast and north central Georgia.

A freezing rain advisory from the National Weather Service will be in effect until 7 p.m. Monday.

Forecasters say less than a tenth of an inch of ice is expected in most areas with larger accumulations expected on mountains and in elevated areas.

Meteorologists say temperatures are expected to rise into the mid-30s or warmer in the afternoon and freezing rain is expected to transition into rain in the late afternoon and evening.

Forecasters say motorists should drive slowly and be prepared for slippery roads.

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3:10 p.m. CST

Officials are investigating reports of at least two possible tornadoes in Mississippi and damage to a school.

National Weather Service meteorologist Anna Wolverton says that on the Lincoln-Copiah county line, damage was reported to the Wesson Attendance Center on Monday, as well as to some other structures. Windows were blown out in cars and ceilings damaged at the K-12 school.

The school was in session, but Mississippi Department of Education spokeswoman Patrice Guilfoyle said she had no reports of injuries.

Damage was also reported to chicken houses and a shop in Leake County, Mississippi, from a second possible tornado.

The tornadoes are part of a large winter storm system hammering the eastern part of the U.S., bringing rain, strong winds, snow and sleet.

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1:20 a.m. EST

A grab bag of weather conditions — including snow and sleet — will descend on communities from the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, But with many people off for Presidents' Day it may be just another day to hunker down.

The National Weather Service says Monday will be snowy in many areas before sleet or freezing rain starts and rain arrives.

Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia could see 1 to 3 inches of snow and New York City could get 4. Places such as eastern Ohio and western New York could receive significantly more.

The snow comes after much of the northeastern United States experienced record cold on Valentine's Day. From New York and Boston to Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut, temperatures Sunday morning dipped to as low as minus 40.